You can reduce anxiety with this acupuncture technique

Controlling anxiety can be as simple as stimulating an acupuncture point located on the hand.

This is the conclusion of a study published in PlosOne and made by him Dr Johannes Fleckenstein, from the Institute of Complementary Medicine of the University of Bern (Switzerland).

Point C7 helps you reduce anxiety

Anxiety manifests itself with different symptoms, such as unpleasant feeling of nervousness, worry about failure, sweats, nausea and rapid heart rate. These symptoms can appear in specific situations, such as having to face an exam or being overworked.

Many people choose to rely on caffeine to overcome stress or take drugs that are not free of side effects to prevent or treat anxiety. That is why Dr. Fleckenstein and his team wondered if acupuncture could be a useful tool.

The effect of true and sham acupuncture was compared

To determine this, they designed a study in which the participants were divided into two groups. One of them received a true acupuncture treatment on a single point, while the other was subjected to a fake laser acupuncture treatment.

The selected acupoint was the number 7 of the heart meridian (C7), known in Chinese as shemen, which in Spanish means “door of the spirit” or “door of heaven”. This point lies in the crease of the wrist, along the inner edge.

In Chinese medicine, the shen men It is chosen to treat memory disturbances, sadness, pain, agitation or lack of libido, among other symptoms.

the researchers elicited a stress response in the participants which they were able to measure in cortisol and amylase levels in saliva, in heart rate variability, and through anxiety tests.

Cortisol levels decreased

In participants who received acupuncture for 20 minutes, cortisol levels were significantly reduced, hormone related to anxiety, something that did not occur in those who received fake acupuncture.

Several previous studies had already tested the properties of the number point of the heart meridian, even in animals, which are free of the placebo effect. the some essays this point was combined with number 4 of the large intestine (hegu), also located in the hand (on the back, between the thumb and index finger).

Although in Dr. Fleckenstein’s study the stimulation of the shenmen was performed with an acupuncture needle, acupressure can also be applied.

Press the point with your thumb

To do this, press – hard, but without hurting – the point with the tip of the thumb of the other hand. for 10 minutes. Then press the same point on the other wrist for another 10 minutes.

You can combine this acupressure technique with breathing exercises and rest to achieve better results.